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Considerations For Managing Internet of Things (Iot) Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks

This document provides an overview of considerations for managing cybersecurity and privacy risks associated with Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It aims to help organizations better understand and manage risks related to their IoT devices throughout the lifecycle. The publication was created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to be the introductory document in a planned series on more specific aspects of IoT risk management. It was informed by workshops and input from public and private sector contributors.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
194 views44 pages

Considerations For Managing Internet of Things (Iot) Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks

This document provides an overview of considerations for managing cybersecurity and privacy risks associated with Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It aims to help organizations better understand and manage risks related to their IoT devices throughout the lifecycle. The publication was created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to be the introductory document in a planned series on more specific aspects of IoT risk management. It was informed by workshops and input from public and private sector contributors.

Uploaded by

jeromenl
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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NISTIR 8228

Considerations for Managing


Internet of Things (IoT)
Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks

Katie Boeckl
Michael Fagan
William Fisher
Naomi Lefkovitz
Katerina N. Megas
Ellen Nadeau
Danna Gabel O’Rourke
Ben Piccarreta
Karen Scarfone

This publication is available free of charge from:


https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228
NISTIR 8228

Considerations for Managing


Internet of Things (IoT)
Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks
Katie Boeckl Danna Gabel O’Rourke
Michael Fagan Deloitte & Touche LLP
William Fisher Arlington, Virginia
Naomi Lefkovitz
Katerina N. Megas Karen Scarfone
Ellen Nadeau Scarfone Cybersecurity
Ben Piccarreta* Clifton, Virginia
Applied Cybersecurity Division
Information Technology Laboratory *Former employee; all work for this
publication was done while at NIST

This publication is available free of charge from:


https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

June 2019

U.S. Department of Commerce


Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Walter Copan, NIST Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology Interagency or Internal Report 8228
44 pages (June 2019)

This publication is available free of charge from:


https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an
experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or
endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best
available for the purpose.
There may be references in this publication to other publications currently under development by NIST in
accordance with its assigned statutory responsibilities. The information in this publication, including concepts and
methodologies, may be used by federal agencies even before the completion of such companion publications. Thus,
until each publication is completed, current requirements, guidelines, and procedures, where they exist, remain
operative. For planning and transition purposes, federal agencies may wish to closely follow the development of
these new publications by NIST.
Organizations are encouraged to review all draft publications during public comment periods and provide feedback
to NIST. Many NIST cybersecurity publications, other than the ones noted above, are available at
https://csrc.nist.gov/publications.

Comments on this publication may be submitted to:


National Institute of Standards and Technology
Attn: Applied Cybersecurity Division, Information Technology Laboratory
100 Bureau Drive (Mail Stop 2000) Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2000
Email: [email protected]

All comments are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
NIST IR 8228 CONSIDERATIONS FOR MANAGING IOT
CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY RISKS

Reports on Computer Systems Technology

The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical
leadership for the Nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test
methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance
the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the
development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for
the cost-effective security and privacy of other than national security-related information in
federal information systems.

Abstract
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly evolving and expanding collection of diverse
technologies that interact with the physical world. Many organizations are not necessarily aware
of the large number of IoT devices they are already using and how IoT devices may affect
cybersecurity and privacy risks differently than conventional information technology (IT)
devices do. The purpose of this publication is to help federal agencies and other organizations
better understand and manage the cybersecurity and privacy risks associated with their individual
IoT devices throughout the devices’ lifecycles. This publication is the introductory document
providing the foundation for a planned series of publications on more specific aspects of this
topic.

Keywords

cybersecurity risk; Internet of Things (IoT); privacy risk; risk management; risk mitigation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all contributors to this publication, including the participants in the
workshops and other interactive sessions, the individuals and organizations from the public and
private sectors who provided comments on the preliminary ideas, and the following individuals
from NIST: Curt Barker, Matt Barrett, Barbara Cuthill, Donna Dodson, Jim Foti, Ned Goren,
Nelson Hastings, Jody Jacobs, Suzanne Lightman, Jeff Marron, Vicky Pillitteri, Tim Polk, Matt
Scholl, Eric Simmon, Matt Smith, Murugiah Souppaya, Jim St. Pierre, Kevin Stine, and David
Wollman.

Audience

The primary audience for this publication is personnel at federal agencies with responsibilities
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

related to managing cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices, although personnel at other
organizations may also find value in the content. Personnel within the following Workforce
Categories and Specialty Areas from the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)
Cybersecurity Workforce Framework [1] are most likely to find this publication of interest, as
are their privacy counterparts:

• Securely Provision (SP): Risk Management (RSK), Systems Architecture (ARC),


Systems Development (SYS)
• Operate and Maintain (OM): Data Administration (DTA), Network Services (NET),
Systems Administration (ADM), Systems Analysis (ANA)
• Oversee and Govern (OV): Cybersecurity Management (MGT), Executive Cyber
Leadership (EXL), Program/Project Management (PMA) and Acquisition
• Protect and Defend (PR): Cybersecurity Defense Analysis (CDA), Cybersecurity Defense
Infrastructure Support (INF), Incident Response (CIR), Vulnerability Assessment and
Management (VAM)
• Investigate (IN): Digital Forensics (FOR)

In addition, IoT device manufacturers and integrators may find this publication useful for
understanding concerns regarding managing cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices.

Note to Readers

Appendix A previously held examples of possible cybersecurity and privacy capabilities that
organizations may want their IoT devices to have. That content has been removed from this
publication and will be refined and released in a separate publication.

Trademark Information

All registered trademarks and trademarks belong to their respective organizations.

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Executive Summary

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly evolving and expanding collection of diverse
technologies that interact with the physical world. IoT devices are an outcome of combining the
worlds of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). Many IoT devices are
the result of the convergence of cloud computing, mobile computing, embedded systems, big
data, low-price hardware, and other technological advances. IoT devices can provide computing
functionality, data storage, and network connectivity for equipment that previously lacked them,
enabling new efficiencies and technological capabilities for the equipment, such as remote access
for monitoring, configuration, and troubleshooting. IoT can also add the abilities to analyze data
about the physical world and use the results to better inform decision making, alter the physical
environment, and anticipate future events.
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

While the full scope of IoT is not precisely defined, it is clearly vast. Every sector has its own
types of IoT devices, such as specialized hospital equipment in the healthcare sector and smart
road technologies in the transportation sector, and there is a large number of enterprise IoT
devices that every sector can use. Versions of nearly every consumer electronics device, many of
which are also present in organizations’ facilities, have become connected IoT devices—kitchen
appliances, thermostats, home security cameras, door locks, light bulbs, and TVs. [2]

Many organizations are not necessarily aware they are using a large number of IoT devices. It is
important that organizations understand their use of IoT because many IoT devices affect
cybersecurity and privacy risks differently than conventional IT devices do. Once organizations
are aware of their existing IoT usage and possible future usage, they need to understand how the
characteristics of IoT affect managing cybersecurity and privacy risks, especially in terms of risk
response—accepting, avoiding, mitigating, sharing, or transferring risk.

This publication identifies three high-level considerations that may affect the management of
cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices as compared to conventional IT devices:

1. Many IoT devices interact with the physical world in ways conventional IT devices
usually do not. The potential impact of some IoT devices making changes to physical

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systems and thus affecting the physical world needs to be explicitly recognized and
addressed from cybersecurity and privacy perspectives. Also, operational requirements
for performance, reliability, resilience, and safety may be at odds with common
cybersecurity and privacy practices for conventional IT devices.
2. Many IoT devices cannot be accessed, managed, or monitored in the same ways
conventional IT devices can. This can necessitate doing tasks manually for large
numbers of IoT devices, expanding staff knowledge and tools to include a much wider
variety of IoT device software, and addressing risks with manufacturers and other third
parties having remote access or control over IoT devices.
3. The availability, efficiency, and effectiveness of cybersecurity and privacy
capabilities are often different for IoT devices than conventional IT devices. This
means organizations may have to select, implement, and manage additional controls, as
well as determine how to respond to risk when sufficient controls for mitigating risk are
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not available.

Cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices can be thought of in terms of three high-level
risk mitigation goals:

1. Protect device security. In other words, prevent a device from being used to conduct
attacks, including participating in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against
other organizations, and eavesdropping on network traffic or compromising other devices
on the same network segment. This goal applies to all IoT devices.
2. Protect data security. Protect the confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability of data
(including personally identifiable information [PII]) collected by, stored on, processed
by, or transmitted to or from the IoT device. This goal applies to each IoT device except
those without any data that needs protection.
3. Protect individuals’ privacy. Protect individuals’ privacy impacted by PII processing
beyond risks managed through device and data security protection. This goal applies to
all IoT devices that process PII or that directly or indirectly impact individuals.

Each goal builds on the previous goal and does not replace it or negate the need for it. Meeting
each of the risk mitigation goals involves addressing a set of risk mitigation areas. Each risk
mitigation area defines an aspect of cybersecurity or privacy risk mitigation thought to be most
significantly or unexpectedly affected for IoT by the risk considerations. For each risk mitigation
area, there are one or more expectations organizations usually have for how conventional IT
devices help mitigate cybersecurity and privacy risks for the area. Finally, there are one or more
challenges that IoT devices may pose to each expectation. The figure below depicts the end
result of these linkages, which is the identification of a structured set of potential challenges with
mitigating cybersecurity and privacy risk for IoT devices that can each be traced back to the
relevant risk considerations.

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This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

Organizations should ensure they are


addressing the cybersecurity and privacy
risk considerations and challenges
throughout the IoT device lifecycle for the
appropriate risk mitigation goals and areas.
This publication provides the following
recommendations for accomplishing this:

1. Understand the IoT device risk


considerations and the challenges they
may cause to mitigating cybersecurity
and privacy risks for IoT devices in the
appropriate risk mitigation areas.
2. Adjust organizational policies and
processes to address the cybersecurity
and privacy risk mitigation challenges throughout the IoT device lifecycle. This
publication cites many examples of possible challenges, but each organization will need
to customize these to take into account its mission requirements and other organization-
specific characteristics.
3. Implement updated mitigation practices for the organization’s IoT devices as you would
any other changes to practices.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... iv
1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Purpose and Scope ........................................................................................ 1
1.2 Publication Structure ....................................................................................... 1
2 IoT Device Capabilities .......................................................................................... 3
3 Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk Considerations ................................................. 5
3.1 Consideration 1: Device Interactions with the Physical World ........................ 6
3.2 Consideration 2: Device Access, Management, and Monitoring Features ...... 7
3.3 Consideration 3: Cybersecurity and Privacy Capability Availability, Efficiency,
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and Effectiveness .................................................................................................... 9


4 Challenges with Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk Mitigation for IoT Devices . 11
4.1 Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 1, Protect Device Security........... 12
4.2 Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 2, Protect Data Security .............. 22
4.3 Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 3, Protect Individuals’ Privacy ..... 23
5 Recommendations for Addressing Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk Mitigation
Challenges for IoT Devices .................................................................................. 26
5.1 Adjusting Organizational Policies and Processes ......................................... 26
5.2 Implementing Updated Risk Mitigation Practices .......................................... 29

List of Appendices
Appendix A— [Withdrawn] ......................................................................................... 30
Appendix B— Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................ 31
Appendix C— Glossary .............................................................................................. 32
Appendix D— References .......................................................................................... 34

List of Figures

Figure 1: Topics Covered in This Publication .................................................................. 2


Figure 2: IoT Device Capabilities Potentially Affecting Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk .. 4
Figure 3: Relationship Between Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks .................................. 5
Figure 4: Risk Mitigation Goals ..................................................................................... 11
Figure 5: Relationships Among Section 3 and Section 4 Concepts .............................. 13
Figure 6: Recommendation Summary ........................................................................... 26

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List of Tables

Table 1: Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 1, Protect Device Security ............. 14
Table 2: Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 2, Protect Data Security ................ 23
Table 3: Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 3, Protect Individuals’ Privacy ....... 24
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

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1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this publication is to help organizations better understand and manage the
cybersecurity and privacy risks associated with individual Internet of Things (IoT) devices
throughout the devices’ lifecycles. This publication emphasizes what makes managing these
risks different for IoT devices in general, including consumer, enterprise, and industrial IoT
devices, than conventional information technology (IT) devices. It omits all aspects of risk
management that are largely the same for IoT and conventional IT, including all aspects of risk
management beyond the IoT devices themselves, because these are already addressed by many
other risk management publications.

The publication provides insights to inform organizations’ risk management processes. After
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reading this publication, an organization should be able to improve the quality of its risk
assessments for IoT devices and its response to the identified risk through the lens of
cybersecurity and privacy. However, this does not mean cybersecurity and privacy risks for an
IoT device can all be addressed within the device itself. Every IoT device operates within a
broader IoT environment where it interacts with other IoT and non-IoT devices, cloud-based
services, people, and other components.

For some IoT devices, additional types of risks, including safety, reliability, and resiliency, need
to be managed simultaneously with cybersecurity and privacy risks because of the effects
addressing one type of risk can have on others. Only cybersecurity and privacy risks are in scope
for this publication. Readers who are particularly interested in better understanding other types of
risks and their relationship to cybersecurity and privacy may benefit from reading NIST Special
Publication (SP) 800-82 Revision 2, Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security, which
provides an operational technology (OT) perspective on cybersecurity and privacy. [3]

Readers do not need a technical understanding of IoT device composition and capabilities, but a
basic understanding of cybersecurity and privacy principles is expected.

1.2 Publication Structure

The remainder of this publication is organized into the following major sections and appendices:

• Section 2 defines capabilities IoT devices can provide that are of primary interest in terms
of potentially affecting cybersecurity and privacy risk.
• Section 3 describes considerations that may affect the management of cybersecurity and
privacy risks for IoT devices.
• Section 4 explores how the risk considerations may affect mitigating cybersecurity and
privacy risk for IoT devices. The section lists expectations for how these risks are
mitigated in conventional IT environments, then explains how IoT presents challenges to
those expectations and what the potential implications of those challenges are.
• Section 5 provides recommendations for organizations on how to address the
cybersecurity and privacy risk mitigation challenges for their IoT devices.

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• Appendix A previously held examples of possible cybersecurity and privacy capabilities


that organizations may want their IoT devices to have. That content has been removed
from this publication and will be refined and released in a separate publication.
• Appendix B provides an acronym and abbreviation list.
• Appendix C contains a glossary of selected terms used in the publication.
• Appendix D lists the references for the publication.

Figure 1 depicts the topics covered in each section and subsection of this publication.
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8228

Figure 1: Topics Covered in This Publication

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2 IoT Device Capabilities

Each IoT device provides capabilities—features or functions—it can use on its own or in
conjunction with other IoT and non-IoT devices to achieve one or more goals. This publication
references the following types of capabilities IoT devices can provide that are of primary interest
in terms of potentially affecting cybersecurity and privacy risk differently than conventional IT
devices. This is not a comprehensive list of all possible IoT device capabilities.

• Transducer capabilities interact with the physical world and serve as the edge between
digital and physical environments. Transducer capabilities provide the ability for
computing devices to interact directly with physical entities of interest. Every IoT device
has at least one transducer capability. The two types of transducer capabilities are:
o Sensing: the ability to provide an observation of an aspect of the physical world in the
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form of measurement data. Examples include temperature measurement, radiographic


imaging, optical sensing, and audio sensing.
o Actuating: the ability to change something in the physical world. Examples of
actuating capabilities include heating coils, cardiac electric shock delivery, electronic
door locks, unmanned aerial vehicle operation, servo motors, and robotic arms.
• Interface capabilities enable device interactions (e.g., device-to-device communications,
human-to-device communications). The types of interface capabilities are:
o Application interface: the ability for other computing devices to communicate with an
IoT device through an IoT device application. An example of an application interface
capability is an application programming interface (API).
o Human user interface: the ability for an IoT device and people to communicate
directly with each other. Examples of human user interface capabilities include touch
screens, haptic devices, microphones, cameras, and speakers.
o Network interface: the ability to interface with a communication network for the
purpose of communicating data to or from an IoT device—in other words, to use a
communication network. A network interface capability includes both hardware and
software (e.g., a network interface card or chip and the software implementation of
the networking protocol that uses the card or chip). Examples of network interface
capabilities include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), and
ZigBee. Every IoT device has at least one enabled network interface capability and
may have more than one.
• Supporting capabilities provide functionality that supports the other IoT capabilities.
Examples are device management, cybersecurity, and privacy capabilities. [2]

Figure 2 summarizes these IoT device capabilities.

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Figure 2: IoT Device Capabilities Potentially Affecting Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk

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3 Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk Considerations

Cybersecurity risk and privacy risk are related but distinct concepts. Risk is defined in NIST SP
800-37 Revision 2 as “a measure of the extent to which an entity is threatened by a potential
circumstance or event, and typically is a function of: (i) the adverse impact, or magnitude of
harm, that would arise if the circumstance or event occurs; and (ii) the likelihood of occurrence.”
[4] For cybersecurity, risk is about threats—the exploitation of vulnerabilities by threat actors to
compromise device or data confidentiality, integrity, or availability. For privacy, risk is about
problematic data actions—operations that process personally identifiable information (PII)
through the information lifecycle to meet mission or business needs of an organization or
“authorized” PII processing and, as a side effect, cause individuals to experience some type of
problem(s). As Figure 3 depicts, privacy and cybersecurity risk overlap with respect to concerns
about the cybersecurity of PII, but there are also privacy concerns without implications for
cybersecurity, and cybersecurity concerns without implications for privacy. [5]
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Figure 3: Relationship Between Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks

IoT devices generally face the same types of cybersecurity and privacy risks as conventional IT
devices, though the prevalence and severity of such risks often differ. For example, data security
risks are almost always a significant concern for conventional IT devices, but for some IoT
devices, there may not be data security risks because they do not have any data that needs
protection.

This section defines three cybersecurity and privacy risk considerations that may affect the
management of cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices. Organizations should ensure
they are addressing these risk considerations throughout the lifecycle of their IoT devices.
Section 4 provides more information on how these risk considerations may affect risk mitigation,
and Section 5 provides recommendations for organizations on how to address the risk mitigation
challenges.

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3.1 Consideration 1: Device Interactions with the Physical World

Many IoT devices interact with the physical world in ways conventional IT devices usually
do not.

The interactions with the physical world that IoT devices enable may affect cybersecurity and
privacy risks in several ways. Here are examples:

• IoT sensor data, representing measurements of the physical world, always has
uncertainties associated with it. Effective management of IoT sensor data, including
understanding uncertainties, is necessary to assess data quality and meaning so the
organization can make decisions regarding the data’s use and avoid introducing new
risks. Without this, error rates may be unknown for the different contexts in which an IoT
device might be used. 1 Effective IoT sensor data management is important when
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mitigating physical attacks on sensor technology, such as attacks performed through


wireless signals, that could cause sensors to produce false results.
• The ubiquity of IoT sensors in public and private environments can contribute to the
aggregation and analysis of enormous amounts of data about individuals. These activities
can be used to influence individuals’ behavior or decision-making in ways they do not
understand, or lead to information being revealed that individuals did not want revealed,
including the re-identification of previously de-identified PII—and may be beyond the
originally intended scope of the IoT device’s operation.
• IoT devices with actuators have the ability to make changes to physical systems and thus
affect the physical world. The potential impact of this needs to be explicitly recognized
and addressed from cybersecurity and privacy perspectives. In a worst-case scenario, a
compromise could allow an attacker to use an IoT device to endanger human safety,
damage or destroy equipment and facilities, or cause major operational disruptions.
Privacy concerns and related civil liberties concerns could arise through authorized
changes to physical systems that could impact individuals’ physical autonomy or
behavior in personal and public spaces. For example, physical access controls, such as
automated door locks, could be used to limit access to rooms or buildings with
individuals inside, or environmental controls such as lighting or temperature could be
used to influence individuals’ movement in buildings.
• IoT network interfaces often enable remote access to physical systems that previously
could only be accessed locally. Manufacturers, vendors, and other third parties may be
able to use remote access to IoT devices for management, monitoring, maintenance, and
troubleshooting purposes. This may put the physical systems accessible through the IoT
devices at much greater risk of compromise. Further, these decentralized data processing
functions can exacerbate some privacy risks, making it harder for individuals to
understand how the IoT system is operating so that they can make informed decisions
regarding the processing of their information and their interactions with the IoT system.

1 For more information on measurement uncertainty, see https://www.nist.gov/itl/sed/topic-areas/measurement-uncertainty.

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Another important aspect of IoT device interactions with the physical world is the operational
requirements devices must meet in various environments and use cases. Many IoT devices must
comply with stringent requirements for performance, reliability, resilience, safety, and other
objectives. These requirements may be at odds with common cybersecurity and privacy practices
for conventional IT. For example, practices such as automatic patching are generally considered
essential for conventional IT, but these practices could have far greater negative impacts on some
IoT devices with actuators, making critical services unavailable and endangering human safety.
An organization might reasonably decide that patches should be installed at a date and time
chosen by the organization with the appropriate staff onsite and ready to react immediately if a
problem occurs. An organization might also reasonably decide to avoid patching certain IoT
devices under normal circumstances and instead tightly restrict logical and physical access to
them to prevent exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities.

Another way to think of this is in terms of general cybersecurity objectives: confidentiality,


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integrity, and availability. For conventional IT devices, confidentiality often receives the most
attention because of the value of data and the consequences of a breach of confidentiality. For
many IoT devices, availability and integrity are more important than confidentiality because of
the potential impact to the physical world. Imagine an IoT device that is critical for preventing
damage to a facility. An attacker who can view the IoT device’s stored or transmitted data might
not gain any advantage or value from it, but an attacker who can alter the data might trigger a
series of events that cause an incident.

3.2 Consideration 2: Device Access, Management, and Monitoring Features

Many IoT devices cannot be accessed, managed, or monitored in the same ways
conventional IT devices can.

Conventional IT devices usually provide authorized people, processes, and devices with
hardware and software access, management, and monitoring features. In other words, an
authorized administrator, process, or device can directly access a conventional IT device’s
firmware, operating system, and applications, fully manage the device and its software
throughout the device’s lifecycle as needed, and monitor the internal characteristics and state of
the device at all times. Authorized users can also access a restricted subset of the access,
management, and monitoring features.

In contrast, many IoT devices are opaque, often referred to as “black boxes.” They provide little
or no visibility into their state and composition, including the identity of any external services
and systems they interact with, and little or no access to and management of their software and
configuration. The organization may not know what capabilities an IoT device can provide or is
currently providing. In extreme cases, it may be difficult to determine if a black box product is
actually an IoT device because of the lack of transparency.

Authorized people, processes, and devices may encounter one or more of the following
challenges in accessing, managing, and monitoring IoT devices that affect cybersecurity and
privacy risk:

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• Lack of management features. Administrators may not be able to fully manage an IoT
device’s firmware, operating system, and applications throughout the IoT device’s
lifecycle. Unavailable features may include the ability to acquire, verify the integrity of,
install, configure, store, retrieve, execute, terminate, remove, replace, update, and patch
software. In addition, an IoT device’s software may be automatically reconfigured when
an adverse event occurs, such as a power failure or a loss of network connectivity.
• Lack of interfaces. Some IoT devices lack application and/or human user interfaces for
device use and management. When such interfaces do exist, they may not provide the
functionality usually offered by conventional IT devices. An example is the challenge in
notifying users about an IoT device’s processing of their PII so they can provide
meaningful consent to this processing. An additional issue is the lack of universally
accepted standards for IoT application interfaces, including expressing and formatting
data, issuing commands, and otherwise fostering interoperability between IoT devices.
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• Difficulties with management at scale. Most IoT devices do not support standardized
mechanisms for centralized management, and the sheer number of IoT devices to be
managed may be overwhelming.
• Wide variety of software to manage. There is extensive variety in the software used by
IoT devices, including firmware, standard and real-time operating systems, and
applications. This significantly complicates software management throughout the IoT
device lifecycle, affecting such areas as configuration and patch management.
• Differing lifespan expectations. A manufacturer may intend for a particular IoT device
to only be used for a few years and then discarded. An organization purchasing that
device might want to use it for a longer time, but the manufacturer may stop supporting
the device (e.g., releasing patches for known vulnerabilities) either by choice or because
of supply chain limitations (e.g., supplier no longer releases patches for a particular IoT
device component). The problem of differing lifespan expectations is not new and is not
specific to IoT, but it may be particularly important for some IoT devices because of
safety, reliability, and other risks potentially involved in using devices past their intended
lifespan.
• Unserviceable hardware. IoT device hardware may not be serviceable, meaning it
cannot be repaired, customized, or inspected internally.
• Lack of inventory capabilities. IoT devices brought into an organization may not be
inventoried, registered, and otherwise provisioned via the normal IT processes. This is
especially true for types of devices that did not previously have networking capabilities.
• Heterogeneous ownership. There is often heterogeneous ownership of IoT devices. For
example, an IoT device may transfer data to manufacturer-provided cloud-based service
processing and storage. Data may also be sent to a cloud service to aggregate data from
multiple IoT devices in a single location. These cloud services may have access to
portions or all of the devices’ data, or even access to and control of the devices
themselves for monitoring, maintenance, and troubleshooting purposes. In some cases,
only manufacturers have the authority to do maintenance; an organization attempting to
install patches or do other maintenance tasks on an IoT device may void the warranty.
Also, in IoT there may be little or no information available about device ownership,

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especially in black box IoT devices. This could exacerbate existing privacy redress
difficulties because the lack of accountability limits individuals’ abilities to locate the
source of and correct or delete information about themselves, or to address other
problems. Another concern with heterogeneous ownership is the effect on device
reprovisioning—what data may still be available after transferring control of a device.

3.3 Consideration 3: Cybersecurity and Privacy Capability Availability, Efficiency, and


Effectiveness

The availability, efficiency, and effectiveness of cybersecurity and privacy capabilities are
often different for IoT devices than conventional IT devices.

For the purposes of this publication, built-in cybersecurity and privacy capabilities are called
pre-market capabilities. Pre-market capabilities are integrated into IoT devices by the
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manufacturer or vendor before they are shipped to customer organizations. Post-market


capabilities are those capabilities that organizations select, acquire, and deploy themselves in
addition to pre-market capabilities. Pre-market and post-market cybersecurity and privacy
capabilities are often different for IoT devices than conventional IT. The main reasons for this
are:

• Many IoT devices do not or cannot support the range of cybersecurity and privacy
capabilities typically built into conventional IT devices. For example, a “black box” IoT
device may not log its cybersecurity and privacy events or may not give organizations
access to its logs. If pre-market capabilities are available for IoT devices, they may be
inadequate in terms of strength or performance—e.g., using strong encryption and mutual
authentication to protect communications may cause unacceptable delays. 2 Post-market
capabilities cannot be installed onto many IoT devices. Also, existing pre-market and
post-market capabilities may not be able to scale to meet the needs of IoT—for example,
an existing network-based cybersecurity appliance for conventional IT devices may not
be able to also process the volume of network traffic and generated data from a large
number of IoT devices.
• The level of effort needed to manage, monitor, and maintain pre-market capabilities on
each IoT device may be excessive. Especially when IoT devices do not support
centralized management, it may be more efficient to implement and use centralized post-
market capabilities that help protect numerous IoT devices instead of trying to achieve
the equivalent level of protection on each individual IoT device. One example is having a
single network-based IoT gateway or IoT security gateway protecting many IoT devices
instead of having to design, manage, and maintain a unique set of protection capabilities
within each IoT device.
• Some post-market capabilities for conventional IT, such as network-based intrusion
prevention systems, antimalware servers, and firewalls, may not be as effective at

2 For more information on low-resource computing devices, see Bormann C, Ersue M, Keranen A (2014) Terminology for
Constrained-Node Networks. (Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)), Request for Comments (RFC) 7228.
https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC7228.

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NIST IR 8228 CONSIDERATIONS FOR MANAGING IOT
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protecting IoT devices as they are at protecting conventional IT. IoT devices often use
protocols that cybersecurity and privacy controls for conventional IT cannot understand
and analyze. Also, IoT devices may communicate directly with each other, such as
through point-to-point wireless communication, instead of using a monitored
infrastructure network.

An IoT device may not need some of the cybersecurity and privacy capabilities conventional IT
devices rely on—an example is an IoT device without data storage capabilities not needing to
protect data at rest. An IoT device may also need additional capabilities that most conventional
IT devices do not use, especially if the IoT device enables new interactions with the physical
world.
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4 Challenges with Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk Mitigation for IoT Devices

Cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices can be thought of in terms of three high-level
risk mitigation goals, as shown in Figure 4:

1. Protect device security. In other words, prevent a device from being used to conduct
attacks, including participating in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against
other organizations, and eavesdropping on network traffic or compromising other devices
on the same network segment. This goal applies to all IoT devices.
2. Protect data security. Protect the confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability of data
(including PII) collected by, stored on, processed by, or transmitted to or from the IoT
device. This goal applies to each IoT device except those without any data that needs
protection.
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3. Protect individuals’ privacy. Protect individuals’ privacy impacted by PII processing


beyond risks managed through device and data security protection. This goal applies to
all IoT devices that process PII or that directly or indirectly impact individuals.

Figure 4: Risk Mitigation Goals

Each goal builds on the previous goal and does not replace it or negate the need for it. Meeting
each of the risk mitigation goals involves addressing a set of risk mitigation areas, which are
defined below. Each risk mitigation area defines an aspect of cybersecurity or privacy risk
mitigation thought to be most significantly or unexpectedly affected for IoT by the risk
considerations defined in Section 3.

Risk mitigation areas for Goal 1, Protect Device Security:

• Asset Management: Maintain a current, accurate inventory of all IoT devices and their
relevant characteristics throughout the devices’ lifecycles in order to use that information
for cybersecurity and privacy risk management purposes.
• Vulnerability Management: Identify and eliminate known vulnerabilities in IoT device
software and firmware in order to reduce the likelihood and ease of exploitation and
compromise.

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NIST IR 8228 CONSIDERATIONS FOR MANAGING IOT
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• Access Management: Prevent unauthorized and improper physical and logical access to,
usage of, and administration of IoT devices by people, processes, and other computing
devices.
• Device Security Incident Detection: Monitor and analyze IoT device activity for signs
of incidents involving device security.

Risk mitigation areas for Goal 2, Protect Data Security:

• Data Protection: Prevent access to and tampering with data at rest or in transit that
might expose sensitive information or allow manipulation or disruption of IoT device
operations.
• Data Security Incident Detection: Monitor and analyze IoT device activity for signs of
incidents involving data security.
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Risk mitigation areas for Goal 3, Protect Individuals’ Privacy:

• Information Flow Management: Maintain a current, accurate mapping of the


information lifecycle of PII, including the type of data action, the elements of PII being
processed by the data action, the party doing the processing, and any additional relevant
contextual factors about the processing to use for privacy risk management purposes.
• PII Processing Permissions Management: Maintain permissions for PII processing to
prevent unpermitted PII processing.
• Informed Decision Making: Enable individuals to understand the effects of PII
processing and interactions with the device, participate in decision-making about the PII
processing or interactions, and resolve problems.
• Disassociated Data Management: Identify authorized PII processing and determine
how PII may be minimized or disassociated from individuals and IoT devices.
• Privacy Breach Detection: Monitor and analyze IoT device activity for signs of
breaches involving individuals’ privacy.

Sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 examine how the risk considerations introduce challenges for
cybersecurity and privacy risk managers with meeting each of the three risk mitigation goals for
an organization’s IoT devices—in other words, how mitigation may differ for IoT versus
conventional IT. Section 5 provides recommendations on how organizations should address these
challenges.

4.1 Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 1, Protect Device Security

Figure 5 shows the relationships among the Section 3 and Section 4 concepts. Section 3 defines
the three risk considerations, which explain why and how IoT devices impact the management of
cybersecurity and privacy risks. Next, the Section 4 introduction defines the risk mitigation goals
and areas, which specify which types of cybersecurity and privacy risks matter for IoT devices
and may be most affected by the risk considerations. The rest of Section 4 lists expectations,
which are how organizations expect conventional IT devices to help mitigate cybersecurity and

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privacy risks for the risk mitigation goals and areas, and the challenges IoT devices may pose to
those expectations, along with the implications of those challenges. The end result of these
linkages is the identification of a structured set of potential challenges for mitigating
cybersecurity and privacy risk for IoT devices that can each be traced back to the relevant risk
considerations.
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Figure 5: Relationships Among Section 3 and Section 4 Concepts

Many readers may not need to use the information at all the levels of detail depicted in Figure 5,
and some readers may only need the information at one level, such as the list of challenges. This
document includes all the levels in order to explain the basis for identifying these particular
challenges as being potentially significant for IoT devices. Also, some readers may be able to use
all levels to inform their risk management efforts.

Table 1 lists common expectations for the pre-market capabilities of conventional IT devices that
are often used to help mitigate their device security risk. Although these expectations are not
always true for conventional IT devices, they are usually true and have greatly influenced
common device security practices for conventional IT devices. For each expectation, Table 1
defines one or more potential challenges individual IoT devices may pose to the expectation.
Each challenge has its own row in the table:

• First column: a brief statement of the challenge, with each challenge uniquely numbered
to make it easy to reference, and the numbers of the risk considerations from Section 3
that cause the challenge.

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• Second column: examples of draft NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 [7] controls that might be
negatively affected to some extent for some individual IoT devices.
• Third column: the potential implications for the organization if a substantial number of
IoT devices are affected by the challenge.
• Fourth column: examples of Cybersecurity Framework Subcategories [6] that might be
negatively affected to some extent by the implications.

The tables in this section do not define or imply equivalence between the NIST SP 800-53
controls and the Cybersecurity Framework Subcategories in each row. For example, in many
cases, a challenge affects one aspect of the SP 800-53 controls and a different aspect of the
Cybersecurity Framework Subcategories. Additionally, IoT devices not meeting traditional
expectations could be a positive for risk mitigation since these limitations could pose less risk
than when the more robust capability or function is present as per expectation. The table does not
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define these considerations, but instead aims to help cybersecurity and privacy risk managers
understand how IoT devices may or may not fit into their existing mitigations and/or impact how
cybersecurity and privacy outcomes for their organization are currently achieved.

Table 1: Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 1, Protect Device Security

Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
Asset Management
Expectation 1: The device has a built-in unique identifier.
1. The IoT device may not • CM-8, System • May complicate • ID.AM-1: Physical devices
have a unique identifier Component Inventory device management, and systems within the
that the organization’s including remote organization are inventoried
asset management access and
system can access or vulnerability
understand. management.
Risk Consideration 2
Expectation 2: The device can interface with enterprise asset management systems.
2. The IoT device may not • CM-8, System • May have to use • ID.AM-1: Physical devices
be able to participate in Component Inventory multiple asset and systems within the
a centralized asset management organization are inventoried
management system. systems. • ID.AM-2: Software platforms
• May have to perform and applications within the
Risk Consideration 2
asset management organization are inventoried
tasks manually.
• PR.DS-3: Assets are
formally managed
throughout removal,
transfers, and disposition

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CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY RISKS

Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
3. The IoT device may not • CM-8, System • May have to use a • ID.AM-1: Physical devices
be directly connected to Component Inventory separate asset and systems within the
any of the management system organization are inventoried
organization’s or service, or manual • ID.AM-2: Software platforms
networks. asset management and applications within the
processes, for organization are inventoried
Risk Consideration 2
external IoT devices.
• PR.DS-3: Assets are
formally managed
throughout removal,
transfers, and disposition
Expectation 3: The device can provide the organization sufficient visibility into its characteristics.
4. The IoT device may be • CM-8, System • May complicate all • ID.AM-1: Physical devices
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a black box that Component Inventory aspects of device and systems within the
provides little or no management and organization are inventoried
information on its risk management. • ID.AM-2: Software platforms
hardware, software, and applications within the
and firmware. organization are inventoried
Risk Consideration 2 • ID.AM-4: External
information systems are
catalogued
Expectation 4: The device or the device’s manufacturer can inform the organization of all external software and
services the device uses, such as software running on or dynamically downloaded from the cloud.
5. Not all of the IoT • AC-20, Use of • Cannot manage risk • DE.CM-8: Vulnerability
device’s external External Systems for the external scans are performed
dependencies may be software and • PR.IP-1: A baseline
revealed. services. configuration of information
Risk Consideration 2 technology/industrial control
systems is created and
maintained incorporating
security principles (e.g.
concept of least
functionality)
• PR.PT-3: The principle of
least functionality is
incorporated by configuring
systems to provide only
essential capabilities
Vulnerability Management
Expectation 5: The manufacturer will provide patches or upgrades for all software and firmware throughout each
device’s lifespan.
6. The manufacturer may • SI-2, Flaw • Cannot remove • PR.IP-1: A baseline
not release patches or Remediation known vulnerabilities. configuration of information
upgrades for the IoT technology/industrial control
device. systems is created and
maintained incorporating
Risk Consideration 3
security principles (e.g.
concept of least
functionality)

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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
7. The manufacturer may • SI-2, Flaw • May not be able to • PR.IP-1: A baseline
stop releasing patches Remediation remove known configuration of information
and upgrades for the vulnerabilities in the technology/industrial control
IoT device while it is still future. systems is created and
in use. maintained incorporating
security principles (e.g.
Risk Consideration 3
concept of least
functionality)
Expectation 6: The device either has its own secure built-in patch, upgrade, and configuration management
capabilities, or can interface with enterprise vulnerability management systems with such capabilities.
8. The IoT device may not • SI-2, Flaw • Cannot remove • PR.IP-1: A baseline
be capable of having its Remediation known vulnerabilities. configuration of information
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software patched or technology/industrial control


upgraded. systems is created and
maintained incorporating
Risk Considerations 2
security principles (e.g.
and 3
concept of least
functionality)
9. It may be too risky to • CM-3, Configuration • May be significant • PR.IP-1: A baseline
install patches or Change Control delays in removing configuration of information
upgrades or to make • CM-6, Configuration known vulnerabilities. technology/industrial control
configuration changes Settings systems is created and
without extensive maintained incorporating
• SI-2, Flaw
testing and preparation security principles (e.g.
first, and implementing Remediation
concept of least
changes may require functionality)
operational outages or
inadvertently cause
outages.
Risk Consideration 1
10. The IoT device may • CM-3, Configuration • May have to use • PR.IP-1: A baseline
not be able to Change Control numerous configuration of information
participate in a • SI-2, Flaw vulnerability technology/industrial control
centralized Remediation management systems is created and
vulnerability systems instead of maintained incorporating
management system. one. security principles (e.g.
• May have to perform concept of least
Risk Consideration 2
vulnerability functionality)
management tasks
manually and
periodically (e.g.,
manually install
patches, manually
check for software
configuration errors).

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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
11. The IoT device may • CM-2, Baseline • Cannot remove • PR.IP-1: A baseline
not offer the ability to Configuration known vulnerabilities. configuration of information
change the software • CM-3, Configuration • Cannot achieve the technology/industrial control
configuration or may Change Control principle of least systems is created and
not offer the features functionality by maintained incorporating
• CM-6, Configuration
organizations want. disabling unneeded security principles (e.g.
Settings
services, functions. concept of least
Risk Consideration 2 • CM-7, Least • Cannot restrict functionality)
Functionality sensor activation and• PR.IP-3: Configuration
• SC-42, Sensor usage. change control processes
Capability and Data are in place
• PR.PT-3: The principle of
least functionality is
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incorporated by configuring
systems to provide only
essential capabilities
Expectation 7: The device either supports the use of vulnerability scanners or provides built-in vulnerability
identification and reporting capabilities.
12. There may not be a • RA-5, Vulnerability • Cannot automatically • DE.CM-8: Vulnerability
vulnerability scanner Scanning identify known scans are performed
that can run on or vulnerabilities.
against the IoT device.
Risk Consideration 3
13. The IoT device may • RA-5, Vulnerability • Cannot automatically • DE.CM-8: Vulnerability
not offer any built-in Scanning identify known scans are performed
capabilities to identify vulnerabilities.
and report on known
vulnerabilities.
Risk Consideration 3
Access Management
Expectation 8: The device can uniquely identify each user, device, and process attempting to logically access it.
14. The IoT device may • IA-2, Identification and • Cannot identify or • PR.AC-1: Identities and
not support any use of Authentication authenticate users, credentials are issued,
identifiers. (Organizational Users) devices, and managed, verified, revoked,
• IA-3, Device processes. and audited for authorized
Risk Considerations 2
Identification and devices, users and
and 3
Authentication processes
• IA-4, Identifier • PR.AC-7: Users, devices,
Management and other assets are
authenticated (e.g., single-
• IA-8, Identification and
factor, multi-factor)
Authentication (Non-
commensurate with the risk
Organizational Users)
of the transaction (e.g.,
• IA-9, Service individuals’ security and
Identification and privacy risks and other
Authentication organizational risks)

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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
15. The IoT device may • IA-2, Identification and • Cannot uniquely • PR.AC-1: Identities and
only support the use of Authentication identify users, credentials are issued,
one or more shared (Organizational Users) devices, and managed, verified, revoked,
identifiers. • IA-3, Device processes. and audited for authorized
Identification and Complicates devices, users and
Risk Considerations 2
Authentication credential processes
and 3
management
• IA-4, Identifier
because of shared
Management
credentials.
• IA-8, Identification and
Authentication (Non-
Organizational Users)
• IA-9, Service
Identification and
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Authentication
16. The IoT device may • IA-2, Identification and • Cannot identify or
• PR.AC-1: Identities and
require the use of Authentication authenticate some credentials are issued,
identifiers but only in (Organizational Users) users, devices, and managed, verified, revoked,
certain cases (for • IA-3, Device processes. and audited for authorized
example, for remote Identification and devices, users and
access but not local Authentication processes
access, or for • PR.AC-7: Users, devices,
• IA-4, Identifier
administration and other assets are
purposes but not Management
authenticated (e.g., single-
regular usage). • IA-8, Identification and
factor, multi-factor)
Authentication (Non-
Risk Considerations 2 commensurate with the risk
Organizational Users)
and 3 of the transaction (e.g.,
• IA-9, Service individuals’ security and
Identification and privacy risks and other
Authentication organizational risks)
Expectation 9: The device can conceal password characters from display when a person enters a password for a
device, such as on a keyboard or touch screen.
17. The IoT device may • IA-6, Authenticator • Increases the • PR.AC-7: Users, devices,
not support Feedback likelihood of and other assets are
concealment of credential theft. authenticated (e.g., single-
displayed password factor, multi-factor)
characters. commensurate with the risk
of the transaction (e.g.,
Risk Considerations 2
individuals’ security and
and 3
privacy risks and other
organizational risks)
Expectation 10: The device can authenticate each user, device, and process attempting to logically access it.
18. The IoT device may • IA-5, Authenticator • Cannot identify or • PR.AC-7: Users, devices,
not support use of Management authenticate users, and other assets are
non-trivial credentials devices, and authenticated (e.g., single-
(e.g., does not support processes, which factor, multi-factor)
the use of identifiers, increases the commensurate with the risk
does not allow default chances of of the transaction (e.g.,
passwords to be unauthorized access individuals’ security and
changed). and tampering. privacy risks and other
organizational risks)
Risk Considerations 2
and 3

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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
19. The IoT device may • IA-5, Authenticator • Increases the • PR.AC-7: Users, devices,
not support the use of Management chances of and other assets are
strong credentials, unauthorized access authenticated (e.g., single-
such as cryptographic and tampering factor, multi-factor)
tokens or multifactor through credential commensurate with the risk
authentication, for the misuse. of the transaction (e.g.,
situations that merit individuals’ security and
them. privacy risks and other
organizational risks)
Risk Consideration 3
Expectation 11: The device can use existing enterprise authenticators and authentication mechanisms.
20. The IoT device may • IA-2, Identification and • Need one or more • PR.AC-1: Identities and
not support the use of Authentication additional accounts credentials are issued,
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an existing enterprise (Organizational Users) and credentials for managed, verified, revoked,
user authentication • IA-5, Authenticator each user. and audited for authorized
system. Management devices, users and
processes
Risk Consideration 3 • IA-8, Identification and
Authentication (Non- • PR.AC-7: Users, devices,
Organizational Users) and other assets are
authenticated (e.g., single-
factor, multi-factor)
commensurate with the risk
of the transaction (e.g.,
individuals’ security and
privacy risks and other
organizational risks)
Expectation 12: The device can restrict each user, device, and process to the minimum logical access privileges
necessary.
21. The IoT device may • AC-3, Access • Allows authorized • PR.AC-4: Access
not support use of Enforcement users, devices, and permissions and
logical access • AC-5, Separation of processes to authorizations are managed,
privileges within the Duties intentionally or incorporating the principles
device that is sufficient inadvertently use of least privilege and
• AC-6, Least Privilege
for a given situation. privileges they separation of duties
should not have. • PR.DS-5: Protections
Risk Consideration 3
• Allows an attacker against data leaks are
who gains implemented
unauthorized access
• PR.MA-1: Maintenance and
to an account to have
repair of organizational
even greater access
assets are performed and
than the account
logged, with approved and
should have.
controlled tools

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NIST IR 8228 CONSIDERATIONS FOR MANAGING IOT
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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
22. The IoT device may • AC-3, Access • Allows authorized • PR.AC-3: Remote access is
not support use of Enforcement users, devices, and managed
logical access • AC-4, Information processes to • PR.AC-5: Network integrity
privileges to restrict Flow Enforcement intentionally or is protected (e.g., network
network inadvertently conduct segregation, network
• AC-5, Separation of
communications into network segmentation)
and out of the device Duties
communications they
• AC-6, Least Privilege • PR.DS-5: Protections
that is sufficient for a should not be able to.
against data leaks are
given situation. • AC-17, Remote • Allows an attacker to
implemented
Access have greater network
Risk Consideration 3 • PR.MA-2: Remote
• SC-7, Boundary access than
intended. maintenance of
Protection
organizational assets is
approved, logged, and
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performed in a manner that


prevents unauthorized
access
Expectation 13: The device can thwart attempts to gain unauthorized access, and this feature can be configured
or disabled to avoid undesired disruptions to availability. (Examples include locking or disabling an account when
there are too many consecutive failed authentication attempts, delaying additional authentication attempts after
failed attempts, and locking or terminating idle sessions.)
23. The IoT device’s use • AC-7, Unsuccessful • Cannot gain • PR.AC-3: Remote access is
of these security Logon Attempts immediate access to managed
features may not be • AC-11, Device Lock IoT devices when • PR.AC-4: Access
sufficiently modifiable. needed to use or permissions and
• AC-12, Session
manage them. authorizations are managed,
Risk Considerations 1 Termination
and 3 incorporating the principles
• IA-11, Re-
of least privilege and
Authentication
separation of duties
• PR.MA-1: Maintenance and
repair of organizational
assets are performed and
logged, with approved and
controlled tools
• PR.MA-2: Remote
maintenance of
organizational assets is
approved, logged, and
performed in a manner that
prevents unauthorized
access

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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
Expectation 14: The device has adequate built-in physical security controls to protect it from tampering (e.g.,
tamper-resistant packaging).
24. The IoT device may • MP-2, Media Access • Allows an attacker to • PR.AC-2: Physical access to
be deployed in an • MP-7, Media Use have direct physical assets is managed and
area where people access to devices protected
• PE-3, Physical Access
who are not and tamper with • PR.PT-2: Removable media
Control
authorized to access them, including is protected and its use
the device may do so adding or removing restricted according to policy
or where authorized storage media,
• PR.MA-1: Maintenance and
people can access the connecting
repair of organizational
device in unauthorized peripherals, etc.
assets are performed and
ways.
logged, with approved and
Risk Considerations 1 controlled tools
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and 2
Incident Detection
Expectation 15: The device can log its operational and security events.
25. The IoT device may • AU-2, Audit Events • Increases the • DE.CM-7: Monitoring for
not be able to log its • AU-3, Content of Audit likelihood of unauthorized personnel,
operational and Records malicious activity connections, devices, and
security events at all going undetected. software is performed
• AU-12, Audit
or in sufficient detail. • Cannot confirm and • PR.PT-1: Audit/log records
Generation
reconstruct incidents are determined,
Risk Consideration 3 • SI-4, System from log entries. documented, implemented,
Monitoring
and reviewed in accordance
with policy
• RS.AN-1: Notifications from
detection systems are
investigated
26. The IoT device may • AU-5, Response to • Increased likelihood • DE.CM-7: Monitoring for
continue operating Audit Processing of malicious activity unauthorized personnel,
even when a logging Failures going undetected. connections, devices, and
failure occurs. software is performed
Risk Consideration 3 • PR.PT-1: Audit/log records
are determined,
documented, implemented,
and reviewed in accordance
with policy
Expectation 16: The device can interface with existing enterprise log management systems.
27. The IoT device may • AU-6, Audit Review, • May have to use • DE.AE-3: Event data are
not be able to Analysis, and numerous log collected and correlated
participate in an Reporting management from multiple sources and
enterprise log • SI-4, System systems instead of sensors
management system. Monitoring one. • DE.CM-7: Monitoring for
• May have to perform unauthorized personnel,
Risk Consideration 2
log management connections, devices, and
tasks manually. software is performed
• Increases the • PR.PT-1: Audit/log records
likelihood of are determined,
malicious activity documented, implemented,
going undetected. and reviewed in accordance
with policy

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Challenges for Individual Affected Draft NIST SP Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
IoT Devices, and 800-53 Revision 5 Organization Framework Subcategories
Risk Considerations Controls
Causing the Challenges
Expectation 17: The device can facilitate the detection of potential incidents by internal or external controls, such
as intrusion prevention systems, anti-malware utilities, and file integrity checking mechanisms.
28. The IoT device may • SI-3, Malicious Code • Increases the • DE.CM-1: The network is
not be able to execute Protection likelihood of monitored to detect potential
internal detection • SI-7, Software, malicious code cybersecurity events
controls or interact Firmware, and infections and other • DE.CM-4: Malicious code is
with external detection Information Integrity unauthorized detected
controls without activities occurring
• PR.DS-6: Integrity checking
adversely affecting and going
mechanisms are used to
device operation. undetected.
verify software, firmware,
Risk Considerations 1 and information integrity
and 3
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29. The IoT device may • IR-4, Incident • Increases the • DE.CM-1: The network is
not provide controls Handling likelihood of monitored to detect potential
with the visibility • SI-4, System malicious code and cybersecurity events
needed to detect Monitoring other unauthorized • DE.CM-4: Malicious code is
incidents efficiently activities going detected
and effectively. undetected.
• PR.DS-6: Integrity checking
Risk Considerations 2 mechanisms are used to
and 3 verify software, firmware,
and information integrity

Expectation 18: The device can support event and incident analysis activities.
30. The IoT device may • SI-4, System • Cannot use forensic • RS.AN-1: Notifications from
not provide analysts Monitoring tools for information detection systems are
with sufficient access gathering and investigated
to the device’s analysis. • RS.AN-3: Forensics are
resources in order to performed
do the necessary
analysis.
Risk Considerations 2
and 3

4.2 Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 2, Protect Data Security

Table 2 follows the same conventions as Table 1, but for protecting data security. It is assumed
that if data security needs to be protected, device security needs protection as well, so the
challenges in both tables would need to be considered.

Note that the Incident Detection section of Table 1 is also applicable for protecting data security.
Table 1 assumes only device security incidents need to be protected; the same potential
challenges, affected controls, implications, and Cybersecurity Framework subcategories also
apply to detecting data security incidents. The Incident Detection rows are omitted from Table 2
for brevity.

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Table 2: Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 2, Protect Data Security

Challenges for Individual IoT Affected Draft NIST Implications for the Affected Cybersecurity
Devices SP 800-53 Revision Organization Framework
5 Controls Subcategories
Data Protection
Expectation 19: The device can prevent unauthorized access to all sensitive data on its storage devices.
31. The IoT device may not • MP-4, Media • Increases the likelihood • PR.DS-1: Data-at-rest
provide sufficiently strong Storage of unauthorized access is protected
encryption capabilities for its • SC-28, Protection to or tampering with • PR.PT-2: Removable
stored data. of Information at sensitive data. media is protected
Risk Consideration 3 Rest and its use restricted
according to policy
32. The IoT device may not • MP-6, Media • Increases the likelihood • PR.IP-6: Data is
provide a mechanism for Sanitization of unauthorized access destroyed according
sanitizing sensitive data to sensitive data. to policy
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before disposing of or
repurposing the device.
Risk Consideration 3
Expectation 20: The device has a mechanism to support data availability through secure backups.
33. The IoT device may not • CP-9, System • Increases the likelihood • PR.IP-4: Backups of
provide a secure backup Backup of loss of data. information are
and restore mechanism for conducted,
its data. maintained, and
tested
Risk Consideration 3
Expectation 21: The device can prevent unauthorized access to all sensitive data transmitted from it over
networks.
34. The IoT device may not • AC-18, Wireless • Increases the likelihood • PR.DS-2: Data-in-
provide sufficiently strong Access of eavesdropping on transit is protected
encryption capabilities for • SC-8, Transmission communications.
protecting sensitive data Confidentiality and
sent in its network Integrity
communications.
Risk Consideration 3
35. The IoT device may not • SC-8, Transmission • Increases the likelihood • PR.DS-2: Data-in-
verify the identity of another Confidentiality and of eavesdropping, transit is protected
computing device before Integrity interception,
sending sensitive data in its • SC-23, Session manipulation,
network communications. Authenticity impersonation, and
other forms of attack
Risk Consideration 3
on communications.

4.3 Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 3, Protect Individuals’ Privacy

Table 3 lists potential challenges with achieving goal 3, protecting individuals’ privacy by
mitigating privacy risk arising from authorized PII processing. It follows the same conventions
as the previous tables, but it omits mappings to Cybersecurity Framework Subcategories since
the Cybersecurity Framework does not address privacy risks from authorized PII processing. It is
assumed that if individuals’ privacy needs to be protected, device and data security need to be
protected as well, so the challenges in all three tables would need to be considered. However,
organizations may use information from Table 2 to address privacy risks arising from the loss of
confidentiality, integrity, or availability of PII.

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Table 3: Potential Challenges with Achieving Goal 3, Protect Individuals’ Privacy

Challenges for Individual IoT Devices Affected Draft NIST Implications for the Organization
SP 800-53 Revision
5 Controls
Disassociated Data Management
Expectation 22: The device operates in a traditional federated identity environment.
36. The IoT device may contribute data that IA-8 (6), Identification • Techniques such as the use of
is used for identification and and Authentication identifier mapping tables and privacy-
authentication, but is outside of (non-organizational enhancing cryptographic techniques to
traditional federated environments. users) | blind credential service providers and
Disassociability relying parties from each other or to
Risk Consideration 3 make identity attributes less visible to
transmitting parties may not work
outside a traditional federated
environment.
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Informed Decision Making


Expectation 23: Traditional interfaces exist for individual engagement with the device.
37. The IoT device may lack interfaces that IP-2, Consent • Individuals may not be able to provide
enable individuals to interact with it. consent for the processing of their PII
or condition further processing of
Risk Consideration 2 specific attributes.
38. Decentralized data processing functions IP-3, Redress • Individuals may not be able to locate
and heterogenous ownership of IoT the source of inaccurate or otherwise
devices challenge traditional problematic PII in order to correct it or
accountability processes. fix the problem.

Risk Consideration 3
39. The IoT device may lack interfaces that IP-4, Privacy Notice • Individuals may not be able to read or
enable individuals to read privacy access privacy notices.
notices.

Risk Consideration 2
40. The IoT device may lack interfaces to IP-6, Individual • Individuals may have difficulty
enable access to PII, or PII may be Access accessing their information, which
stored in unknown locations. curtails their ability to manage their
information and understand what is
Risk Consideration 2 happening with their data, and
increases compliance risks.
PII Processing Permissions Management
Expectation 24: There is sufficient centralized control to apply policy or regulatory requirements to PII.
41. The IoT device may collect PII PA-2, Authority to • PII may be processed in ways that are
indiscriminately or analyze, share, or act Collect out of compliance with regulatory
upon the PII based on automated requirements or an organization’s
processes. policies.

Risk Consideration 2
42. IoT devices may be complex and PA-3, Purpose • PII may be hard to track such that
dynamic, with sensing functionality that Specification individuals, as well as device
can collect PII being frequently added owners/operators, may not have
and removed. reliable assumptions about how PII is
being processed, causing informed
Risk Consideration 1 decision making to be more difficult.

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Challenges for Individual IoT Devices Affected Draft NIST Implications for the Organization
SP 800-53 Revision
5 Controls
43. The IoT device may be accessed PA-4, Information • PII may be shared in ways that are out
remotely, allowing the sharing of PII Sharing with External of compliance with regulatory
outside the control of the administrator. Parties requirements or an organization’s
policies.
Risk Consideration 2
Information Flow Management
Expectation 25: There is sufficient centralized control to manage PII.
44. IoT devices may be complex and PM-29, Inventory of • PII may be difficult to identify and track
dynamic, with sensing functionality that Personally Identifiable using traditional inventory methods.
can collect PII being frequently added Information
and removed.
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Risk Consideration 1
45. IoT devices may not support SC-7 (24), Boundary • Application of PII processing rules
standardized mechanisms for centralized Protection | intended to protect individuals’ privacy
data management, and the sheer Personally Identifiable may be disrupted.
number of IoT devices to manage may Information
be overwhelming.

Risk Consideration 2
46. The IoT device may not have the SC-42, Sensor • Lack of direct privacy risk mitigation
capability to support configurations such Capability and Data capabilities may require compensating
as remote activation prevention, limited controls and may impact an
data reporting, notice of collection, and organization’s ability to optimize the
data minimization. amount of privacy risk that can be
reduced.
Risk Consideration 3
47. The IoT device may indiscriminately SI-12 (1), Information • It is more likely that operationally
collect PII. Heterogenous ownership of Management and unnecessary PII will be retained.
devices challenges traditional data Retention | Limit
management techniques. Personally Identifiable
Information Elements
Risk Consideration 2
48. Decentralized data processing functions SI-19, Data Quality • It is more likely that inaccurate PII will
and heterogenous ownership of IoT Operations persist, with the potential to create
devices challenge traditional data problems for individuals.
management processes with respect to
checking for accuracy of data.

Risk Consideration 2
49. Decentralized data processing functions SI-20, De- • Aggregation of disparate data sets
and heterogenous ownership of IoT Identification may lead to re-identification of PII.
devices challenge traditional de-
identification processes.

Risk Considerations 2 and 3

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5 Recommendations for Addressing Cybersecurity and Privacy Risk Mitigation


Challenges for IoT Devices

This section provides recommendations


for addressing the cybersecurity and
privacy risk mitigation challenges for IoT
devices. Figure 6 summarizes the
recommendations, which are listed below
and, if indicated, described in more detail
elsewhere in the publication:

1. Understand the IoT device risk


considerations (Section 3) and the
challenges they may cause to
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mitigating cybersecurity and


privacy risks for IoT devices in
the appropriate risk mitigation
areas (Section 4).
2. Adjust organizational policies and
processes to address the
cybersecurity and privacy risk mitigation
Figure 6: Recommendation Summary
challenges throughout the IoT device
lifecycle. Section 5.1 provides more information on this. Section 4 of this publication
cites many examples of possible challenges, but each organization will need to customize
these to take into account mission requirements and other organization-specific
characteristics.
3. Implement updated mitigation practices for the organization’s IoT devices as you would
any other changes to practices (Section 5.2).

5.1 Adjusting Organizational Policies and Processes

Organizations should ensure they are addressing the considerations throughout the IoT device
lifecycle in their cybersecurity and privacy policies and processes. Organizations should ensure
they clearly state how they scope IoT in order to avoid confusion and ambiguity. This is
particularly important for organizations that may be subject to laws and regulations with
differing definitions of IoT.

Similarly, organizations should ensure their cybersecurity, supply chain, and privacy risk
management programs take IoT into account appropriately. This includes the following:

• Determining which devices have IoT device capabilities. Have mechanisms in place to
determine whether a device that might be procured or has already been procured is an IoT
device, if that is not apparent.
• Identifying IoT device types. Know which types of IoT devices are in use, which
capabilities each type supports, and what purposes each type supports.

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• Assessing IoT device risk. It is important to take into consideration the particular IoT
environment the IoT devices reside within, and not just assess risks for IoT devices in
isolation. For example, attaching an actuator to one physical system may affect risks
much differently than attaching the same actuator to another physical system.
• Determining how to respond to that risk by accepting, avoiding, mitigating, sharing, or
transferring it. As previously discussed, some risk mitigation strategies for conventional
IT may not work well for IoT. Section 4 of this publication discusses risk mitigation
challenges for IoT devices in considerable detail.

Managing cybersecurity and privacy risks for some IoT devices may affect other types of risks
and introduce new risks to safety, reliability, resiliency, performance, and other areas.
Organizations should be sure to consider the tradeoffs among these risks when making decisions
about cybersecurity and privacy risk mitigation. For example, suppose a particular IoT device is
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critical for safety. Requiring personnel in a physically secured area to enter a password in order
to gain local access to the IoT device could delay intervention during a malfunction. Additional
requirements involving password length, password complexity, and automatic account lockouts
after consecutive failed authentication attempts could cause far longer delays, increasing the
likelihood and magnitude of harm. Organizations should leverage their existing programs for
managing other forms of risk when determining how IoT device cybersecurity and privacy risks
should be managed.

Based on the potential mitigation challenges and the implications of those challenges, the
implementations of the following Cybersecurity Framework Subcategories [6] are most likely to
need adjustments so the organizational policies and processes adequately address cybersecurity
risk throughout the IoT device lifecycle:

• ID.AM (Identify—Asset Management)


o ID.AM-1: Physical devices and systems within the organization are inventoried
o ID.AM-2: Software platforms and applications within the organization are
inventoried
• ID.BE (Identify—Business Environment)
o ID.BE-4: Dependencies and critical functions for delivery of critical services are
established
o ID.BE-5: Resilience requirements to support delivery of critical services are
established for all operating states (e.g. under duress/attack, during recovery, normal
operations)
• ID.GV (Identify—Governance)
o ID.GV-1: Organizational cybersecurity policy is established and communicated
o ID.GV-2: Cybersecurity roles and responsibilities are coordinated and aligned with
internal roles and external partners
o ID.GV-3: Legal and regulatory requirements regarding cybersecurity, including
privacy and civil liberties obligations, are understood and managed
o ID.GV-4: Governance and risk management processes address cybersecurity risks

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• ID.RA (Identify—Risk Assessment)


o ID.RA-1: Asset vulnerabilities are identified and documented
o ID.RA-3: Threats, both internal and external, are identified and documented
o ID.RA-4: Potential business impacts and likelihoods are identified
o ID.RA-6: Risk responses are identified and prioritized
• ID.RM (Identify—Risk Management Strategy)
o ID.RM-2: Organizational risk tolerance is determined and clearly expressed
o ID.RM-3: The organization’s determination of risk tolerance is informed by its role in
critical infrastructure and sector specific risk analysis
• ID.SC (Identify—Supply Chain Risk Management)
o ID.SC-2: Suppliers and third party partners of information systems, components, and
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services are identified, prioritized, and assessed using a cyber supply chain risk
assessment process
o ID.SC-3: Contracts with suppliers and third-party partners are used to implement
appropriate measures designed to meet the objectives of an organization’s
cybersecurity program and Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management Plan
• PR.IP (Protect—Information Protection Processes and Procedures)
o PR.IP-3: Configuration change control processes are in place
o PR.IP-9: Response plans (Incident Response and Business Continuity) and recovery
plans (Incident Recovery and Disaster Recovery) are in place and managed
o PR.IP-12: A vulnerability management plan is developed and implemented

Similarly, the implementations of the tasks listed below from NIST SP 800-37 Revision 2 [4] are
most likely to need adjusted so the organizational policies and processes adequately address
cybersecurity and privacy risk throughout the IoT device lifecycle. Note that although the
Cybersecurity Framework can be used to manage the aspect of privacy relating to PII
cybersecurity, NIST SP 800-37 Revision 2 can be used to manage the full scope of privacy
because it integrates authorized PII processing into the NIST Risk Management Framework
(RMF).

• Prepare, Organization Level, Task P-1: Risk Management Roles


• Prepare, Organization Level, Task P-2: Risk Management Strategy
• Prepare, Organization Level, Task P-3: Risk Assessment—Organization
• Prepare, System Level, Task P-8: Mission or Business Focus
• Prepare, System Level, Task P-13: Information Life Cycle
• Prepare, System Level, Task P-14: Risk Assessment—System
• Prepare, System Level, Task P-15: Requirements Definition

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5.2 Implementing Updated Risk Mitigation Practices

An organization’s cybersecurity and privacy risk mitigation practices may need significant
changes because of the sheer number of IoT devices and the large number of IoT device types.
For conventional IT devices, most organizations have dozens of types—desktops, laptops,
servers, smartphones, routers, switches, firewalls, printers, etc. Conventional IT devices within a
single type tend to have similar capabilities. For example, most laptops have similar data storage
and processing capabilities; human user interface and network interface capabilities; and
supporting capabilities, such as centralized management. This enables organizations to determine
how to manage risk for each of the dozens of conventional IT device types, with some
customizations for particular devices and device models, and organizations are generally
accustomed to this level of effort.

In contrast, most organizations may have many more types of IoT devices than conventional IT
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devices because of the single-purpose nature of most IoT devices. An organization may need to
determine how to manage risk for hundreds or thousands of IoT device types. Capabilities vary
widely from one IoT device type to another, with one type lacking data storage and centralized
management capabilities, and another type having numerous sensors and actuators, using local
and remote data storage and processing capabilities, and being connected to several internal and
external networks at once. The variability in capabilities causes similar variability in the
cybersecurity and privacy risks involving each IoT device type, as well as the options for
mitigating those risks.

In addition, an organization may need to determine how to manage risk not just by device type,
but also by device usage. The way a device is to be used may indicate that one security objective,
such as integrity, is more important than another, such as confidentiality, and that in turn may
necessitate different mechanisms to risk mitigation. Similarly, a device might be used in such a
way that some of its capabilities are not needed and can be disabled, which could reduce the
device’s risk.

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Appendix A—[Withdrawn]

Appendix A previously held examples of possible cybersecurity and privacy capabilities that
organizations may want their IoT devices to have. That content has been removed from this
publication and will be refined and released in a separate publication which will be posted to our
program website (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-cybersecurity-iot-program).
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Appendix B—Acronyms and Abbreviations

Selected acronyms and abbreviations used in this paper are defined below.

API Application Programming Interface


DDoS Distributed Denial of Service
FISMA Federal Information Security Modernization Act
FOIA Freedom of Information Act
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
IoT Internet of Things
IP Internet Protocol
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IR Internal Report
IT Information Technology
ITL Information Technology Laboratory
LTE Long-Term Evolution
NICE National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
OMB Office of Management and Budget
OT Operational Technology
PII Personally Identifiable Information
RFC Request for Comments
RMF Risk Management Framework
SLA Service Level Agreement
SP Special Publication

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Appendix C—Glossary

Actuating Capability The ability to change something in the physical world.


Application Interface The ability for other computing devices to communicate with an
Capability IoT device through an IoT device application.
Capability A feature or function.
Data Actions “System operations that process PII.” [5]
Disassociability “Enabling the processing of PII or events without association to
individuals or devices beyond the operational requirements of
the system.” [5]
Human User Interface The ability for an IoT device to communicate directly with
Capability people.
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Interface Capabilities Capabilities which enable interactions involving IoT devices


(e.g., device-to-device communications, human-to-device
communications). The types of interface capabilities are
application, human user, and network.
Network Interface The ability to interface with a communication network for the
Capability purpose of communicating data to or from an IoT device. A
network interface capability allows a device to be connected to
and use a communication network. Every IoT device has at least
one network interface capability and may have more than one.
Personally Identifiable “Information that can be used to distinguish or trace an
Information (PII) individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other
information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.” [8]
PII Processing An operation or set of operations performed upon PII that can
include, but is not limited to, the collection, retention, logging,
generation, transformation, use, disclosure, transfer, and disposal
of PII.
Post-Market Capability A cybersecurity or privacy capability an organization selects,
acquires, and deploys itself; any capability that is not pre-market.
Pre-Market Capability A cybersecurity or privacy capability built into an IoT device.
Pre-market capabilities are integrated into IoT devices by the
manufacturer or vendor before they are shipped to customer
organizations.
Problematic Data Action A system operation that processes PII through the information
lifecycle and as a side effect causes individuals to experience
some type of problem(s).

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Risk “A measure of the extent to which an entity is threatened by a


potential circumstance or event, and typically is a function of: (i)
the adverse impact, or magnitude of harm, that would arise if the
circumstance or event occurs; and (ii) the likelihood of
occurrence.” [4]
Sensing Capability The ability to provide an observation of an aspect of the physical
world in the form of measurement data.
Supporting Capabilities Capabilities that provide functionality that supports the other IoT
capabilities. Examples of supporting capabilities are device
management, cybersecurity, and privacy capabilities.
Transducer Capabilities Capabilities that provide the ability for computing devices to
interact directly with physical entities of interest. The two types
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of transducer capabilities are sensing and actuating.

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Appendix D—References

[1] Newhouse W, Keith S, Scribner B, Witte G (2017) National Initiative for Cybersecurity
Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. (National Institute of
Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD), NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-181.
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-181
[2] Simmon E (forthcoming) A Model for the Internet of Things (IoT). (National Institute
of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD).
[3] Stouffer K, Pillitteri V, Lightman S, Abrams M, Hahn A (2015) Guide to Industrial
Control Systems (ICS) Security. (National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD), NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-82, Rev. 2.
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-82r2
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[4] Joint Task Force (2018) Risk Management Framework for Information Systems and
Organizations: A System Life Cycle Approach for Security and Privacy. (National
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d.pdf

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Common questions

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The three high-level risk mitigation goals are distinct yet interconnected. Device security involves preventing attacks using IoT devices, such as participating in DDoS attacks or eavesdropping . Data security ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data managed by these devices, especially personal identifiable information (PII). Privacy protection addresses the risks to individuals' privacy that are not covered by device or data security, usually involving PII processing risks .

Every IoT device possesses at least one network interface capability such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, which introduces specific cybersecurity risks. These interfaces are potentially vulnerable to unauthorized access or attacks, especially if not properly secured. They may interact directly with other devices via protocols that conventional IT security tools cannot adequately handle, leading to potential security gaps .

Device interactions with the physical world complicate IoT cybersecurity strategies because the consequences of attacks go beyond digital impacts to potentially harm physical infrastructure or individuals. These devices often operate in diverse environments where conventional IT security measures may not apply. This requires new strategies focused not only on digital security but also on safeguarding physical interactions, such as through robust authentication and encryption tailored to IoT environments .

Manufacturers' support for patches is crucial to IoT device cybersecurity. When manufacturers do not release or discontinue patches, vulnerabilities persist, providing potential attack vectors. Effective patch support ensures flaw remediation, forming a critical part of maintaining device security over the lifespan of the IoT device . Lack of support can leave organizations unable to manage evolving threats effectively .

Limited visibility into IoT device characteristics significantly complicates risk management as it impairs the organization's ability to track and manage devices securely. Without sufficient information on hardware, software, and firmware, managing vulnerabilities becomes challenging, increasing the risk of undetected unauthorized access and attacks . It also affects system inventory and asset management capabilities, potentially undermining comprehensive risk assessment efforts .

Asset management is critical for IoT cybersecurity as it helps organizations maintain an accurate inventory of physical devices and systems and ensures that these assets are managed throughout their life cycle. Challenges arise when IoT devices lack unique identifiers or cannot participate in centralized asset management, complicating remote access and vulnerability management . Organizations may need to adopt manual processes or alternate systems to track these devices effectively .

Managing external dependencies in IoT devices presents challenges such as the lack of visibility into software and services the device uses, impacting risk assessment and management. If devices or manufacturers don’t disclose external dependencies, organizations may struggle to mitigate vulnerabilities adequately, as they can't manage risks from third-party services effectively without such information. This affects capabilities like vulnerability scans and configuration management, crucial for maintaining security .

An inability of IoT devices to support intrusion detection capabilities negatively affects an organization's security posture by increasing the likelihood that malicious activities go undetected. This gap can lead to unauthorized activities persisting longer, exacerbating potential damage. Furthermore, limited device cooperation with external detection tools can impair incident response, making it crucial for organizations to adapt their security operations to bolster monitoring and forensic capabilities .

IoT devices face unique challenges that differ from conventional IT devices due to their operational requirements and the inability to access, manage, or monitor them in the same ways. Often, tasks must be performed manually across numerous devices, expanding the staff's knowledge base. Additionally, IoT devices may have third parties like manufacturers with remote access, posing extra risks . Furthermore, the cybersecurity and privacy capabilities of IoT devices may require different controls, and organizations need to respond to risks without sufficient mitigating options .

Existing pre-market and post-market cybersecurity capabilities might not scale effectively for IoT devices because these devices often operate under different constraints, such as resource limitations, and may communicate in ways not compatible with conventional IT network protections . A recommended solution is employing a centralized IoT security gateway to protect multiple devices, rather than trying to equip each with robust individual protections, which can be inefficient and impractical .

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